Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator

But if there's one clear example of essential personnel — even amid the
storm's thrashing winds — it's the employees of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.

Washington, D.C., and states along the East Coast have declared states of
emergency. And that's where FEMA comes in, providing what's known as "direct
federal assistance" to states that have requested the agency's help.

That consists of generators, meals and other commodities.

"And we are ready to support additional assessments and additional requests for
assistance," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in a conference call with
reporters Monday afternoon. That includes financial reimbursement for damages after the storm
passes, he said.

Fugate: 'We have the funds to respond'

The pot of money funding FEMA's relief efforts contains $3.6 billion, Fugate said,
which includes some funds carried over from last fiscal year as well as new
funding from the stopgap spending measure approved by Congress last
month.

"We have the funds to respond, we have the funds to continue to respond to
recovery in previous disasters and we'll assess the impacts to determine any
additional funding needs based upon the impacts of Hurricane Sandy," Fugate said.

That's a far cry from the situation FEMA faced last summer after Hurricane Irene
and a series of previous expensive disasters nearly drained the disaster relief fund.

Collaboration is key

Collaboration — between state and federal officials and between the
government and the private sector — is key to FEMA's response efforts,
Fugate said.

"This is not just FEMA; it's a total effort of the entire federal family
supporting state and local [authorities]. And a big part of that's the private
sector," Fugate said.

For example, FEMA's National Business Operations Center convenes private
companies, such as big-box retailers, to aid in the relief efforts.

"I think we're in a good position based upon the initial response. But we still
have
more things en route anticipating that ... as we get a better idea of the total
impacts, we need to be able to continue to bring resources in and not just go with
what we've already pre-staged," Fugate said.

FEMA leveraging social media

Another change from previous disasters is the extent to which FEMA is using social
media, such as Facebook and Twitter (@FEMA) to get the word out.

Because of those efforts, Fugate said he thinks there has been a higher degree of
awareness about the storm.

"I think the real success will be afterwards: Did we see a change in the outcome?
Did
more people evacuate? Did more people heed the official evacuation orders and
protective measure the local officials have been issuing?"

And, in case you're wondering: Yes, Fugate (@CraigatFEMA) does his
own tweeting.

"That's why there're mis-typings in there because when I'm typing half-awake in
the morning, I misspell things," Fugate said.